Drug treats brain tumors by cutting edema

BOSTON, March 30 (UPI) -- U.S. medical researchers say the positive effects of anti-angiogenesis drugs in treating brain tumors appears to result from edema reduction.

The Massachusetts General Hospital scientists said the reduction in size of the brain tumors, called glioblastomas, appears to result primarily from reduction of the swelling of brain tissue and not from any direct anti-tumor effect. Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels.

The study involved treatment with the experimental drug cediranib and resulted in reduced edema and improved survival in three mouse models of glioblastoma.

"Our findings suggest anti-angiogenesis therapy can increase patient survival even in the face of persistent tumor growth," said Rakesh Jain, director of the Steele Laboratory in the MGH Department of Radiation Oncology, the study's co-senior author. "In glioblastoma clinical trials, it is important to separate survival analysis from that of tumor response to therapy, since many factors combine to cause patient deaths."

The research is to be reported in a future issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is now available online at the journal's Web site.